Monday, October 8

14:00 – 15:30

Registration

15:30 – 16:00

Léman A

Official Opening

Welcome and Introductions

Speaker: 

Patricia Francis, Executive Director, International Trade Centre, Switzerland

16:00 – 18:00

Léman A

Plenary Brainstorming

Bringing Down the Barriers - Defining the Priorities for Export Development 

Key note speaker: 

Pascal Lamy, Director General of the World Trade Organization, Switzerland

Commentator: 

Patricia Francis, Executive Director, International Trade Centre, Switzerland

Moderator: 

Tim Sebastian, Chairman, Doha Debates, UK

19:15 – 21:30

Salle de

Congrès

Opening Dinner Keynote Address

Aid for Trade: Separating Fact from Fiction 

Richard Manning, Chair, Development Assistance Committee, OECD, France

Tuesday, October 9

08:30 – 10:00

Léman A

Plenary Debate

Shifts in the Trade Agenda: What Will Be the Consequences for Developing Countries? 

Background: 

The world has committed itself to an equitable trading system, or has it? Tariffs have been replaced by non-tariff measures; regional and bilateral trade agreements seem to be favored above multilateral ones. The benefits to developing countries have not been as significant as expected. Yet, there is an increased awareness of the positive impacts that trade can have on overall development, and Aid for Trade is receiving greater prominence than ever before. But will there still be a gap between what is being said and what will be done to promote economic growth and development for all?

Issues for Debate: 

• What are the main features of the current trade agenda that developing countries have to pay the closest attention to?
• Do these shifts in the trade agenda sufficiently respond to the needs and interest of developing countries, or do they bring false hopes?
• How must developing countries adapt to these shifts to attain maximum benefits?

Speakers: 

• Arsene Balihuta, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Uganda to the UN at Geneva, Switzerland
• Clovis Rossi, Columnist and Member of the Editorial Board, Folha de Sao Paulo, Brazil
• William Tagliani, Attaché, Permanent Mission of the United States to the WTO, Switzerland
• Kwasi Abeasi,Chief Executive, The African Business Roundtable, Ghana

Moderator: 

Tim Sebastian, Chairman, Doha Debates, UK

10:00 – 10:30

Coffee Break

10:30 – 12:30

La Coupole

Léman A

Léman B

Breakout Series 1: Building Supply-Side Capacities

• Aid for Productive Capacities - What Works, What Does Not 

Background: 

The call by developing countries is for improved market access. Paradoxically, the assertion is often made that developing countries have to look inwards to enhance their productive capacities. Whilst many assistance programmes strive to achieve this, too often, these effort shave only a limited impact on export. The reason is that such programmes often have a developmental bias, with competitiveness given only secondary importance.

Issues for Debate: 

• What, specifically, must be done to achieve a better and more sustainable impact on export performance through aid for productive capacities?
• Should such aid be directed to single sectors or should it have a cross-sectoral scope? Can more impact be achieved by focusing on traditional sectors, or should aid target emerging and new sectors? What criteria should be used to guide decision-makers in this regard?

Speakers: 

– Kiichiro Fukasaku, Economist, OECD Development Centre, France

• Josephine Francis, Owner/Manager, Arjay Farm, Liberia
• Antonio Ruales, Vice Minister of Trade and Integration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ecuador

Moderator: 

• Evita Schmieg, Head, Division of Globalization, Trade and Investment, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development(BMZ), Germany

• Unleashing the Power of Enterprise: Innovation and Entrepreneurship 

Background: 

Innovation and entrepreneurship are not the sole domain of hi-tech economies. Both the formal and informal sectors in most developing countries often demonstrate a surprisingly high level of creativity at generating economic activity. Unfortunately, the volumes are often insufficient, and there is no guarantee that the potential benefits accrue to the entrepreneur and the local community. To have an impact on export performance, a supportive environment is required to enable new entrepreneurs to emerge, existing ones to expand, and to eventually diversify into new sectors and markets.

Issues for Debate: 

• What are the impediments to entrepreneurship and innovation in developing countries and economies in transition? How can these impediments be overcome?
• What must be done by policy-makers, trade support institutions and enterprises to foster innovation and entrepreneurship so as to build supply-side capacities?

• George S. Dragnich, Director, Office of Economic and Development Affairs, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State, USA
• Paul Regis,Program Officer, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Switzerland
• Dora Hoan, Group Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, BestWorld International, Singapore

Moderator: 

Ron Marchant, former CEO, UK Patent Office, United Kingdom

• Finding a Place in Today’s Global Value Chains 

Background: 

To be successful in international trade, businesses must find their place in the global value chain. Enterprises in many developing countries and economies in transition, however, often find themselves in an unequal balance of power, with the bulk of the benefits going to those who dominate the marketing channels. The challenge, therefore, is for enterprises to make the leap from being passive participants in the value chain to a position of strength where they can be price-makers instead of price-takers.

Issues for Debate: 

• To achieve a better position of strength in the global value chain, should efforts be directed toward obtaining market fit, or should the focus be on strengthening supply-side capacities?
• To achieve a better position of strength in the global value chain, should the emphasis be on finding markets that match the supply-side capabilities, or on assisting enterprises meet stringent market requirements?
• Where do the significant opportunities for developing countries lie – in global value chains or in regional value chains?
• Whilst enterprises in developing countries cannot suddenly dominate global value chains, what realistic options/alternatives can they pursue to strengthen their position?

Stephanie Barrientos, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, United Kingdom

Fiorina Mugione, Chief, Enterprise Development and Capacity Building Section, UNCTAD, Switzerland

Owen Skae, SeniorAdviser – Export Strategy Design and Management, ITC

Moderator: 

Martin Watson, Representative for Global Economic Issues, Quaker UN Office, Switzerland

12:30 – 14:00

Networking Luncheon

14:00 – 15:00

Léman A

Keynote Address

Fear of Trade: Implications for Developing Countries 

Jagdish N. Bhagwati, Professor of Economics, Columbia University, USA

Chair: 

Tim Sebastian, Chairman, Doha Debates, UK

15:00 – 17:00

Léman A

La Coupole

Léman B

Breakout Series 2: Building Competitive Business Environments

• Bringing Down the Barriers: Getting It Right at Home First 

Background: 

Developing countries continue to call for increased market access – and rightly so. But even if they have access to markets, enterprises will still find it difficult to compete. The national business operating environments are often inefficient, non-trade able costs are high, and support structures - physical, institutional and legal - are weak. The barriers are not in fact external, they are internal.

Issues for Debate: 

• To become more successful in export, should policymakers in developing countries and economies in transition focus on market access or on building a competitive business environment? Why?
• Can greater sustainable impact be achieved by allocating a greater proportion of the proceeds injected into the economy through export activity to improving the business environment, as opposed to meeting other priorities (e.g. health and education)?

Speakers: 

• Robert J.M. Appelboom, Principal, R.J.M. Appelboom Consulting, Brazil and formerly Managing Director of EKA and NOCAL Breweries, Angola
• Françoise Foning,President, Les femmes chefs d’entreprises mondiale / GeneralManager, Groupe Foning, Cameroon
• Anthony O'Sullivan, Head, Private Sector Division, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), France

Moderator: 

• Ricardo Melendez-Ortiz, CEO, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), Switzerland

• Building Trade-Related Infrastructure: What Can the Private Sector Do? 

Background: 

Enterprises in developing countries and economies in transition lose out on lucrative business opportunities due to a lack of adequate infrastructure to support the production of goods and services, and to get them to the market. Governments have proved to be relatively Inefficient in providing the required infrastructure to create competitive business environments. The private sector is increasingly taking up the challenge by adopting a more active role in building trade-related infrastructure. This ranges from the development of physical infrastructure, such as roads and telecommunications facilities, down to the provision of trade support services at the enterprise level.

Issues for Debate: 

• Where the public sector is not meeting trade-related infrastructure needs, should the private sector be given the opportunity to fill the gaps? Why, or why not?
• What are best practices for public-private partnerships in building trade-related infrastructure to promote export development?

Speakers: 

• R.C.M. Reddy, CEO, Cluster Development Initiative, Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd., India
• Atul Padalkar, Project Manager, Durban Investment Promotion Agency, South Africa
• Martin Abega,Executive Secretary, Groupement Interpatronal du Cameroun,(GICAM), Cameroon

Moderator: 

• Siphana Sok, Director, Division of Technical Cooperation Coordination, ITC

• Attracting Buyers and FencingIn Investors - The Business Environment Imperatives 

Background: 

The decision to buy from, or invest in, a country is a business decision. Unless the conditions are right from the perspective of the buyer or the investor, they will walk away from the deal. The challenge is to build sustainable relationships that are mutually beneficial. This implies avoiding fickle or 'fly by night' partners, and emphasizing those relationships that are sustainable, and which are in the longer term interests of the business sector and the country.

Issues for Debate: 

• Given that the quality and quantity of investment are relative to the quality of the business environment, what are the options to the strategy-maker to simultaneously attract Sustainable investment and address deficiencies in the country's business environment? What are the risks and benefits involved inthis?

• What are the business environment imperatives that buyers expect? How can TSIs bridge the gap between these expectations and the ability of local enterprises to deliver?  

• Richard Ong, Leading Executive, Smart Education Centre, Malaysia
• Celina McLean, Project Director, Institute of International Strategy, Argentinian Chamber of Exporters (CERA), Argentina
• Esperanza Durán, Executive Director, Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation (AITIC), Switzerland

Moderator: 

• Martin Watson, Representative for Global Economic Issues, Quaker UN Office, Switzerland

17:00 – 17:30

Coffee Break

17:30 – 18.30

Léman A

Plenary Reporting from Breakout Series 1 and 2

• Export What? Building Supply-Side Capacities 

Presenters: 

• Evita Schmieg, Head, Division of Globalization, Trade, and Investment, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany
• Ron Marchant, former CEO, UK Patent Office, United Kingdom
• Martin Watson, Representative for Global Economic Issues, Quaker UN Office, Switzerland

• Buy Where? Building Competitive Business Environments 

Presenters: 

• Ricardo Melendez-Ortiz, CEO, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), Switzerland
• Siphana Sok, Director, Division of Technical Cooperation Coordination, ITC
• Martin Watson, Representative for Global Economic Issues, Quaker UN Office, Switzerland

Moderator: 

• Tim Sebastian, Chairman, Doha Debates, UK

19:30 – 21:30

Gala Dinner

Wednesday, October 10

08:30 – 10:00

Léman A

Plenary Debate

Winning National Strategies for Export Development

Background: 

At any moment in time, developing countries and economies in transition are overwhelmed by a plethora of strategies – national development plans, private sector development strategies, investment strategies and poverty-reduction strategies, to name but a few. Will these strategies by themselves achieve the desired effect, or is something more required? Given the complexity of the dynamics that go into export development, a relevant national export strategy is essential to build supply-side capacities, create a competitive business environment, gain access to markets and strengthen institutional responses, whilst ensuring that the export sector contributes to overall socio-economic growth. In short a comprehensive national strategy for export development that is implemented is needed.

Issues for Debate: 

• Formulating a national strategy for export development will not achieve export impact. Implementation will. Yet many strategies are designed but never implemented. Why? What can be done to improve the rate of success?
• Is it enough to replicate what other developing countries and economies in transition have successfully done? Are strategies, in fact, transferable? Can lessons be drawn? Can a common approach to devising a national export strategy be applied across countries?

Speakers: 

• Don Stephenson, Ambassador, Canadian Mission to the WTO at Geneva, Switzerland
• Tariq Ikram, Chief Executive, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, and Minister of State, Pakistan
• Roger Baxter, Chief Economist, Chamber of Mines, South Africa

Moderator: 

• Tim Sebastian, Chairman, Doha Debates, UK

10:00 – 10:30

Coffee Break

10:30 – 12:30

Léman A

Léman B

La Coupole

Breakout Series 3: Building Markets

• Regional Integration: Responding to Necessity? 

Background: 

In light of the opportunities and challenges posed by the global economy, developing countries and economies in transition are increasingly seeking to form regional alliances to engage more successfully in intra- and inter- regional trade. On paper, the benefits are obvious. In practice, however, is regional integration producing the desired results? The proliferation of regional agreements has resulted in over-ambitious agendas, poor governance and conflicting policies. There are significant gaps between the goals and the achievements.

Issues for Debate: 

• Is the rush towards regional integration responding to necessity, or is it being driven by a fear of exclusion?
• How can strategy-makers ensure that regional integration engenders competitive regional value chains, which translate into business opportunities at the enterprise level?

• Stephan Heieck, Principal Adviser, Regional Project for Trade Policies, CENPROMYPE-GTZ, EL Salvador
• Elham Zeadat,Managing Director, Bloom Dead Sea Gift Enterprise, Jordan
• Enno Bozdo, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy, Albania
• Aniebo Akpan Roberts, Head, Public Affairs and Bilateral Cooperation, Global Partnership Initiative, Nigeria

Moderator: 

• –Taiana Mora-Ramis, Executive Director, CaribExport, Barbados

• Meeting Technical Regulations and Standards for Export Success 

Background: 

Whilst trade liberalization has improved market opportunities, exporters from all countries face a growing number of international standards, technical regulations and sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Many enterprises in developing countries are not even aware of these requirements, let alone being in a position to meet them. The result is lost export opportunities to lucrative markets.

Issues for Debate: 

• As the establishment of a fully functional quality infrastructure remains an unrealistic goal for many developing countries, what are interim, cost-effective measures that can be taken to enable potential exporters tap into international markets? Does the responsibility lie with the public or the private sector?
• Within the context of increasing regional integration, are there enhanced prospects for a functioning regional-level quality infrastructure, or do sovereignty and other issues continue to pose an obstacle to this?

Speakers: 

• Alan Bryden, Secretary-General, International Organization for Standardization, Switzerland
• Eddy Yeung,Director, Ciel Group, Mauritius
• Shyam K. Gujadhur, Senior Adviser, on Standards and Quality Management, ITC

Moderator: 

• H. Lal, Chairman, Director-General, Quality Forum, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, India

• Strategic Alliances: Win-Win Opportunities? 

Background: 

For most enterprises from developing countries and economies in transition, entering new markets can be a daunting prospect. By forming strategic alliances, either with partners from the target market, or with partners from the home market, the constraints can potentially be overcome. Despite benefits such as technology- transfer, the acquisition of new skills, and economies of scale, these alliances are few and far between.

Issues for Debate: 

• What are the impediments to forming effective strategic alliances for export success– international, regional and local? What can TSIs do to overcome these impediments? Should they concentrate On facilitating strategic alliances between local and foreign firms, or should they focus on encouraging local partnerships for export?
• Can enterprises from developing countries make a case to established businesses from developed markets to enter into mutually beneficial strategic alliances? Or is it a case of wishful thinking?

Speakers: 

• Jack Lowe, Chief Executive Officer, Blue Orchard Finance, Switzerland
• Beatrice Dove-Edwin, Director Policy, Planning and Research Division, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Sierra Leone
• Anil Bhardwaj, Secretary General, Federation of Indian Micro Small and Medium Enterprise (FISME), India

Moderator: 

• Osman Atac,Chief, Enterprise Management Development Section, ITC

12:30 – 14:00

Networking Luncheon

14:00 – 15:00

Leman A

Keynote Address

Turbulence in Agriculture: Is a Win-Win Possible for Developed and Developing Countries? 

Luzius Wasescha, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the WTO and EFTA, Switzerland

Chair: 

Tim Sebastian, Chairman, Doha Debates, UK

15:00 – 17:00

Léman B

Léman A

La Coupole

Breakout Series 4: Building Institutional Capacities

• Get On My Turf: Coordination in the Trade Support Network 

Background: 

Success in international trade depends on the quality of the aggregate institutional network in any country. Yet, trade support institutions (TSIs) tend to work in isolation from each other. This results in duplication, sub-optimal utilization of limited resources, and fragmentation, with the net result that potential impact on their clients is considerably reduced. TSIs generally have little motivation to coordinate their activities, except on ad hoc, short-term initiatives. There is no central focal point to provide medium- to long-term guidance and coordination amongst the various institutions. Indeed, the perception is that rather than collaborate, TSIs are in fact competing with each other – for resources and clients.

Issues for Debate: 

• What practical steps can be taken at the policy and operational levels to improve coordination within the trade support network and maximize its potential impact on export development? What is the role of international trade development organizations and donors in achieving this?
• What's the most effective structure to achieve such coordination at the national level, while maintaining individual TSI autonomy, and raising the ability to service client needs?

Speakers:

• Jim Tanburn, Coordinator, The Donor Committee for Enterprise Development, United Kingdom
• Daniel Salcedo, Founder, PEOPLink and CatGen, USA
• Humberto Goyen, Head of Planning and Corporate Development, CSI Ingenieros, Uruguay

Moderator:

• Seppo Laine, Senior Vice President, Finland Trade Promotion Organization (Finpro), Finland

• Beyond Politics: Making Trade Support Institutions Effective 

Background: 

Trade support institutions (TSIs) must operate within the context of national policy, and rightly so. In many developing countries, however, TSIs have to contend with more than policy, but also with undue influence from various factions, each with diverse views and priorities. In short, politics often gets in the way of policy– the political order of the day distorts the focus of TSIs and their ability to respond to real enterprise needs.

Issues for Debate: 

• What must be done to ensure that an appropriate fit is achieved between politics, trade-related policy and the TSI network to enable the latter to respond effectively to the national export development agenda and the country's competitiveness imperatives?
• What are the specific checks and balances that can be put into place to ensure that the work of TSIs goes 'beyond politics'?

Speakers: 

• Daniel Lederman, Senior Economist, The World Bank, USA
• Abera Deresa, State Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
• Walter Staples, Founder and Principal, Walter Staples International, Canada

Moderator: 

• A. H. Lansink, Managing Director, Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries(CBI), The Netherlands

• Finding the Right Focus: Gearing Up for Export Success 

Background: 

Most trade promotion organizations (TPOs) focus exclusively One xport promotion, rather than export development. Whilst this is understandable in developed countries, in developing countries and economies in transition TPOs need to do more to achieve a positive impact on export development and export competitiveness. Rather than focusing primarily on the organization of promotional activities, such as trade fairs and missions, should TPOs not have a stronger developmental agenda? TPOs should also do more for aspiring and potential exporters as opposed to working only with established exporters. Overall, most TPOs pursue a risk-averse strategy that falls short of the desired long-term gains.

Issues for Debate: 

• How should export success be defined? Is it only through the commercial success of existing exporters? Is it through the number of new exporters brought to market? Or is it through the extent to which exports contribute to developmental objectives, such as poverty reduction?
• How should TPOs align themselves to achieve the defined level of export success? How can they become more proactive rather than reactive?

Speakers: 

• Beatrice Gakuba, CEO, Rwanda Flora, Rwanda
• Sunita Kapila, Vice-Chairperson, Kenya Gatsy Trust, Kenya
• Leith Doody, Regional Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Austrade, Australia

Moderator: 

• Jorge Lopez, Director, Internacional Promotion, ProMéxico, Mexico

17:00 – 17:30

Coffee Break

17:30 – 18:30

Léman A

Plenary Reporting from Breakout Series 3 and 4

• Export Where? Building Markets 

Presenters: 

• Taiana Mora-Ramis, Executive Director, CaribExport, Barbados
• H. Lal, Chairman, Director-General, Quality Forum, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, India
• Osman Atac,Chief, Enterprise Management Development Section, ITC

• Do It How? Building Institutional Capacities 

Presenters: 

• Seppo Laine, Senior Vice President, Finland Trade Promotion Organization (Finpro), Finland
• A. H. Lansink, Managing Director, Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI),The Netherlands
• Jorge Lopez, Director, Internacional Promotion, ProMéxico, Mexico

Moderator: 

• Tim Sebastian, Chairman, Doha Debates, UK

18:30 – 19:30

Cocktail Reception

19:30 – 21:30

Networking Dinner

Thursday, October 11

08:30 – 10:00

Léman A

Plenary Brainstorming

The Dynamic Export Development Agenda: Implications for Technical Assistance 

Panellists 

• Lakshmi Puri, Acting Deputy Secretary-General, UNCTAD, Switzerland
• Stephen Browne, Deputy Executive Director, ITC
• Hans-Peter Egler, Head, Trade and Clean Technology Cooperation Development, SECO, Switzerland
• Richard S. New farmer, Special Representative to the UN and WTO, World Bank, Switzerland

Moderator: 

• Tim Sebastian, Chairman, Doha Debates, UK

10:00 – 10:30

Coffee Break

10:30 – 12:30

Léman B

La Coupole

Rochers de Naye

Parallel Working Sessions: From Agenda to Action

• Specialized Networks Session (participants to select one of the three simultaneous sessions)

Bringing the Poor into the Market: Expansion and Replication 

Speakers: 

• Abera Deresa, State Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ethiopia
• Solomon Assefa, Deputy Director General, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia
• Steve Caiger, CEO, High Value Horticulture, UK

Moderator: 

• Edward Brown, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland

Business and Government – Dialogue for Export Development 

Speakers: 

• Anthony O’Sullivan, Head of Division, Private Sector Development, OECD, France
• Celina McLean, Project Director, Institute of International Strategy, Argentinian Chamber of Exporters (CERA), Argentina
• M. Supperamaniam, Advisor, WTO / FTA Negotiations, Federation of Malaysian Manufactures, Malaysia
• Zodwa Mabuza, CEO, Federation of Swaziland Employers and Chamber of Commerce, Swaziland

Moderator: 

• Rajesh Aggarwal, Senior Advisor, International Trading System, ITC

Making an Impact on Development through Trade in Services